What is the SQL Server 2016 Query Data Store?

There's been some discussion and little confusion over a new feature that will deliver in SQL Server 2016 called the "Query Store." At first blush, you'd think that Microsoft was delivering a Windows-type app store for queries in SQL Server 2016. This by itself, would be fantastic. I can imagine SQL administrators salivating at the ability to "shop" for vetted SQL queries to use in their own environments instead of having to continually create their own or ask the SQL community to share their own. But, unfortunately, this is not what Query Store in SQL Server 2016 is. Not that the new feature isn't revolutionary and hugely valuable by any stretch.

The full name, per Microsoft, is Query Data Store, which makes the meaning more reasonably understandable. Query Data Store in SQL Server 2016 is intended as a service that monitors and optimizes query plans with full history of query execution. Query Data Store can help diagnose performance problems that are related to plan changes.

What it does:

Microsoft has yet to communicate if Query Data Store will be available in the Standard edition of SQL Server 2016, but will definitely be available as a service for the Enterprise version.